Mask of Hatred
by Mankin
Summary: Prologue to Majora's Mask. The Skullkid steals a mask from the idiot known as the happy mask salesman. However, this is no ordinary mask. It offers the Skullkid his greatest dream, to destroy those who hate him. Please R&R rating subject to change


Mask of Hatred

The moon's red tinted face gleams brightly tonight. It glowers down on the land of Termina as if the country has robbed it in some way. Even I could not escape its infuriated gaze.

The night was yet young, but its cloak of shadows still covered all in a cold embrace. The moon offered the only light. For untold generations the moon had been worshiped for its light in the darkness. Many Terminans believed that the moon was a paradise that their souls would enter after they died. However, they did not worship this paradise. It was merely a location, not a god. Perhaps the reason for the moon's anger was that it felt it had been deprived of worship from the people.

I took little notice of the moon as well. I had my eyes set on the here and now. The Happy Mask Salesman was sleeping like a Deku scrub. The grass acted like a mattress for the entrepreneur. He had left his large backpack lying against a tree a few feet away from him. I giggled to myself. Surely, the fool wouldn't mind losing one mask. I expressed my hatred of his kind by simple thievery and pranks.

I tiptoed past the trees cautiously. I was careful to avoid stepping on a branch lest the crack of the twig awaken the man. I crept up to the tree that supported the massive object. I did not attempt to pull the backpack towards me knowing that it would be far too heavy for me to carry. Instead I moved to the front of the tree so I could see if there were any masks attached to the exterior of the backback. Sure enough, the tradesman had left several of his masks attached to the outer part of his pack. I grinned once more. This was one of the easiest robberies I had performed in a long time.

I saw before me several different disguises. One was made in the image of a Gerudo, another like a Goron. Others were carved into representations of folk tale characters. There were so many choices yet so little time. My sharp eyes wandered over to one mask in particular. I felt my heart jump up into my throat with excitement. It was like no mask I had ever seen.

It was violet, and adorned with several horns made from bones. Two eyes from the mask pierced through my body like arrow heads.

Suddenly, deep within my mind I heard its voice calling out to me, "Come." In my entire life, I had never been asked such a thing. No one ever calls for a Skull Kid, under any circumstances. At the best, they just wave us off as if we are beneath their notice.

Children with adult overseers are used to being called for, whether such a request is to come for breakfast or to complete chores. I had never felt what it was like to be needed, for someone to desire me to come to them. I found that I could not resist the mask's call, even for a second. I tore the mask off from the backpack and ran as fast as my short legs could carry me. I let caution go to the wind as I dashed into the woods, the mask clutched in my hands with an iron grip. Every few minutes I would glance down just to see if the mask was still there. I was willing to surrender everything I had swindled in my entire life just to keep that mask. I refused to allow that feeling of purpose to slip from my fingers like jelly through a sieve.

Sweat poured down my skin in cascades but I could not stop now. I had to get this mask back to my shelter as fast as possible. That was the only place where I could keep it safe from thieves like myself. No one could ever find my hideout in these dense woodlands.

At long last, I burst past the accursed forest into a clearing where my small shack made of discarded tree limbs stood resolute. Utterly spent, I stumbled to the large tree stump in the center of the clearing. I spread my body out on the stump. After taking a few long breathes of oxygen, I turned my attention fully towards the mask's eyes, searching for its hidden secrets. I could feel its eyes scrutinizing my very soul.

Once more its voice rumbled through my mind. "Put me on." I held the mask high above my body and brought it down slowly until it connected with my face. It was a perfect fit. Even though it had no strings to tie in the back, it remained planted on my face. I leaned up and the mask did not fall off. There were no holes for my eyes to see out from but strangely my vision was as clear as day. It was as if the mask had taken the place of my plain face. I slowly lay back down on the long stump. There was nothing left to do but to wait for the mask to enlighten me. Why had it chosen me out of all the people in Termina? Surely it could have chosen an adult.

It surprised me once more by asking me a question, "Who do you hate?" Despite my surprise, this question was a no brainer for me. My hate burned against the accursed race known as adults.

There's a belief that once you enter the Lost Woods you become who you are truly are within. Children turn into Skull Kids when they enter the Lost Woods. However, they remain sentient beings.

When an adult enters the woods, he becomes a mindless killing machine, a stalfoes. If it was possible to enter into the deepest corner of an adult's soul you would find the monster within.

Of course, I hated them just as much in their flesh and blood form as in their stalfoes form. Though my reasons are numerous, the greatest reason I hated adults is because they hated me first.

At times, I journey over to Clock Town. If the adults see me walking down the street, they quickly stroll over to the far side as if I have a deadly disease. Most of the salesmen refuse to sell anything to me. They justify their decision by stating, "I don't sell my goods to your kind." At the best I am scorned and avoided, but at the worst I have to run for my life. Some of the adults hate me so much that they want to beat the Deku nuts out of me. What had I done to earn such prejudice? The only thing I could figure out was that they hated me because I was different. Adults fear those that are unique because they feel threatened by them. When adults feel threatened, they foster hatred against the source of the threat, me.

Their children have earned my animosity as well. Most of them call me names or throw rocks at me. The few that allow me to play with them only use me as a personal punching bag in their games. Once I played battle with them. They made me play the part of an evil soldier which ensured that I was to be slain. However, instead of just leaving me on the ground like the other kids impersonating evil soldiers, they proceeded to beat me with sticks. I cringed with each crack of the stick that fell upon my body but I refused to give them the satisfaction of my tears. They did not deserve my sorrow, but they did earn my hatred and vengeance.

I found very entertaining ways to get back at the children. Sometimes, I would steal their favorite toy and feed it to their pet. Other times I would use natural remedies on the poor invalids. I knew of one type of fruit that when put into food acted like a laxative. I would sneak through their windows and replace their strawberries in their cupboards with this unpleasant fruit. These Terminas have a bad habit of leaving their windows open during the day. If they were actually smart enough to close them, I would simply pick the lock to their back doors.

It looked enough like strawberries to fool them. I didn't care if the parents ate the fruit instead of their children. The adults deserved to be in dire straits as much as their children.

The mask seemed content with my answer, so it proceeded to ask another question. The mask had no voice of its own. It used my thoughts as a vessel to convey its message. Because of this, it was difficult to tell if the mask was speaking or if it was merely my musings.

"What do adults fear?" it asked. This one required more pondering on my part. I flipped the question around in my head a few times searching for the answer. I remember that the guards stationed at Clock Town were afraid to take the night shift. I also knew that many of them were afraid of the field during the night for monsters often came out to prowl.

"Yes that's it! They fear the darkness and what lurks within it!" I shouted. Their children fear the dark and ask for a candle to remain lit in their room. While the adults may not admit it, they themselves despise the darkness. They do all their work during the daytime and go to bed at night. They fear those who wander about in the night. Even death, their greatest fear, is nothing more than eternal darkness.

"What is their only comfort during the night? What is a light to them in the dark?" the mask asked. I found this question even more difficult. I stared up into the sky hoping it would give me the answer to this riddle. The moon was still infuriated. Regardless, it performed its duty and shined brightly for all of Termina.

"The moon," I uttered softly. The moon was like a lantern during the darkest nights. "I wonder what the Terminans would do if their moon was destroyed. There would be no light for them in this world and the next."

"Or what if they very thing they love is used to slay them all? What if the moon falls to the earth? It would crush all of the Terminas! Their very salvation would become their damnation!" the mask suggested. I had never been a particularly violent person, but the idea oddly appealed to me. "Yes, that would be funny. Too bad I don't have the power to do it. I don't even think the goddesses can perform such a feat."

The mask responded, "You have the power to make the moon crash upon Termina for I have bestowed the power upon you."  
"What?" I exclaimed..

"I can make you into a being even the power hungry adults will fear. You are Majora now and you will bring forth the apocalypse! I have bestowed upon you the power to poison the land itself. Why don't you try it out? Reach out with your right hand and smite the very earth!" I sat up and reached my hand out towards the ground. At first nothing happened, but within moments a tiny drop of violet tinted water appeared in the soil. This mere drop of fluid began to expand rapidly until it had grown into a small pond. The poisonous waters lapped against the grass. The grass began to wither at the mere touch of the deadly water. Before long it was dead and the water continued to expand. I dropped my hand down and the water ceased its expansion. The eyes of my mask glittered with glee.

"You can perform much greater acts of destruction than this!" the mask proclaimed. "You can turn mountains into ice, transform swamps into cesspits; you can even create monsters. And most importantly, you can make the moon fall upon those you despise. You are Majora, the great one, grim reaper of the lands, bringer of the apocalypse!"

Never before had I felt so invigorated. At long last, I could truly have my revenge on the adults! I would crush them with their greatest fear. They would be bathed in darkness and never set free from it.

Power coursed through my veins like water from a pump. I chuckled with pleasure. At last I could truly make the adults squirm.

"First, you must create four monsters to ensure that the giants remain in their slumber. Such a task will be simple. You merely have to go to the four temples of Termina and create them," the mask said.  
"Who are these giants?" I asked.

"They are guardians of old who protect Termina from grand disasters. Together, they are strong enough to hold back the moon from crashing into Termina. That is why we must ensure that they remain in their slumber. The only way to guarantee this is to have a monster in each temple that will defile the entire building with their very presence. If the temple is defiled, the giant will be unable to awaken from his slumber."

"Then we can slay all of Termina with the moon!" I shouted.

"No, we must not destroy them immediately. We must allow fear to consume their hearts before the moon comes crashing down upon them. In just a week and a half they will be having their grand fair. The day their fair opens will be the perfect day to allow the moon to fall upon them. Instead of joy and celebration, they will receive death. Yet, we must not just simply send the moon hurtling at them in one day. We must make it slowly approach Termina over a few days. That will give them time to fear the inevitable crash landing," the mask suggested.

"Why don't we let the moon begin its descent three days before the festival, while they are making preparations? Their hearts would become paralyzed with fear!" I shouted.

At that moment my words and the mask's thoughts became one entity. By now, I didn't even care. I liked this identity much better than my old one.

"In the meantime, I can build the monsters and poison the land. The Gorons and the Deku Scrubs will not escape my wrath. Their lands will be wrecked by my very hand. Perhaps I can steal the Zoron's precious eggs. After all, this is the Zoron mating season."

My joy knew no bounds. No longer would I have to live in fear of the adults. No longer would I be an outcast. Instead, I have infinite power over the lives of these fools. Every single Skull Kid hated the adults but they could do nothing about it, save harass an adult that came into the Lost Woods. But now, I will make atonement for their inaction. I am Majora, and my hatred is my strength. I will annihilate Termina without remorse. I despise this land for it despises me. It deserves no mercy.

There is an old saying that is now my motto. "When someone hits you, hit them back so hard that they will never be able to strike you again." My fist will crash down upon Termina from the skies and slay it once and for all.

But first, I would have a little fun. I would make Termina cry out in pain before I slew it. Also, it wouldn't hurt to cause a little mischief as well, except my mask will make such mischief that much more enjoyable.

I will never take off this mask. It has called me to accept my identity as Majora. Thus Majora's Mask will always remain on my face for it is my face!

At long last I have a name. I knew that adults gave their children names, but I was not raised by adults, thus I had no real name. True, there were nicknames my skull kid friends gave to me but they were only crude impersonations of true names. But now, I finally had a name and most importantly a purpose.

In my entire life, despite all the hobbies I had taken up, I never had a purpose. I was nothing more than a shadow in this world. A lonely and ignored being that had no true reason for being alive, I wasted most of time playing childish pranks to irritate adults. For as long as I could remember, that has been my identity. Now, I can cast it aside for a far greater identity.

"I am Majora. Henceforth, I sever all ties with my previous life. There is no turning back," I declared while staring up at the moon.

I got down from the stump and wandered to my shack. It was time to find my fairy companions who could help me perform mischief. After all what's so fun about destroying a world when you can't make it your personal playground for a while?


End file.
